This time last year, San Diego State had exactly one verbal commitment from what would become the recruiting class of 2013.

But what a difference a year can make.

As the summer camp season winds down for the summer, the Aztecs have already acquired 10 verbal commitments for 2014.

That number includes two quarterbacks, one of whom committed to SDSU Sunday evening, according to Rivals.com. Nick Bawden, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound signal caller from Los Gatos committed to SDSU on the same weekend that he took a trip to Utah.

According to Rivals.com, Bawden visited SDSU this week and really connected with the coaches. He told the recruiting website that he likes how SDSU appears to be a program on the rise, and that with coach Rocky Long signed to a five-year contract, there's reassuring stability at the helm of the ship.

His commitment came less than two weeks after the Aztecs picked up a verbal from Carlsbad's Christian Chapman, who turned down offers from BYU, Colorado State, SMU and Washington State to commit to the Aztecs.

Buck and Henderson at camp

Brawley LB Donavin Buck was one of two linebackers at SDSU's skills camp on Sunday who have already committed to the Aztecs.
— Stef Loh

Brawley LB Donavin Buck was one of two linebackers at SDSU's skills camp on Sunday who have already committed to the Aztecs.
/ Stef Loh

The class of 2014 is currently linebacker-heavy, and two of the Aztecs' three linebacker commits were at SDSU's skills camp Sunday afternoon.

Serrano's Jay Henderson was the first recruit to commit to SDSU. He gave the Aztecs' his verbal commitment back in April, and has closed off his recruiting since then. Henderson said Sunday that he has since stopped talking to any other schools, and has stayed in close touch with the Aztecs' other class of 2014 commits.

Sunday at the Aztecs' skills camp, Henderson and Brawley Union linebacker Donavin Buck, another SDSU commit, got a taste of what it might be like to play defense together when they finally get to SDSU.

Both players ran with the No. 1 group in the 7-on-7 series at the end of the camp, and Buck said the whole camp experience was extremely helpful because the players got to run some plays right out of the Aztecs' playbook.

"I learned how to play man, and they coached us up here," Buck said. "We learned two of their plays in zone defense. And I learned good technique also."

Watch out for Gentry

Zach Gentry.

Remember that name.

At 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, the pro-style quarterback from Albuquerque's (N.M.) Eldorado High School, towered over just about all the other quarterbacks at the Aztecs' skills camp.

He looked impressive too, displaying poise, polish and a strong arm as he uncorked pass after pass.

Yet, he's only a sophomore. Gentry will not graduate from high school until 2015.

But his recruitment is already heating up, and the Aztecs appear to be leading that race. For now, anyway.

SDSU was the first school to offer Gentry a college football scholarship. Aztecs' coach Rocky Long has known about Gentry for a while because he knows Gentry's grandfather, Bill from his days in New Mexico.